Keep Your Distance
by redsandhoods
Summary: As Emma struggles to maintain a relationship with Henry, Regina does everything in her power to keep Emma away. Regina doesn't hesitate to use magic against Emma, and it's not long until Emma finds herself charmed.
1. Chapter 1

Emma was sitting at her desk reading the newspaper when she heard the door to the sheriff's station open. She hadn't been expecting anyone, and Mary Margaret always called before coming, so Emma knew who it must be.

"Miss Swan, look at you, working like a dog to earn the tax payer's hard earned money." Regina said as she sauntered into the office, leaning on the door frame as she studied Emma.

"Hello, Regina, what can I do for you today?" Emma responded, looking up at Regina from under her newspaper.

"I have come to report a missing child." Regina answered, looking around Emma's office as if she might find criminal evidence pointing towards Emma.

"Who?" Emma asked, setting her newspaper down, not sure if this was a hoax.

"My son, Henry. It seems he was abducted on his way home from school today." Regina answered as she walked up to Emma's desk, leaning over as she placed her hands on opposite ends of the desk.

"You know Mary and David are taking him bowling, Regina." Emma reminded her with a patronizing tone.

"Well, I don't remember giving my permission." Regina answered, smiling as she cocked her head to the side. "And he is legally my son, which means should he be found with those two, I could take them to court."

"Go home Regina. They'll have him back in time for dinner." Emma picked the newspaper back up, but not before Regina grabbed it and tossed it to the floor, "Hey!"

"Henry may have taken a liking to you and your parents but that does not mean that you three have the right to be involved in his life. He is my son. You gave up your rights as his parents. Mary and David didn't even know Henry was their grandchild until a few weeks ago. So if I were you, I would keep my distance. Magic is back, Miss Swan, and I have no problem using it on you." Regina said in a menacing tone as she smiled at Emma.

"Your empty threats don't worry me, Regina, if you were going to use your magic on me you would have already." Emma smiled, leaning in to Regina as she spoke.

Just like that Emma was pinned to the wall behind her desk by nothing at all. Regina was still behind the sheriff's desk and Emma seemed to be stuck to the wall. "Let me down!" Emma demanded as she tried to wiggle her way out of Regina's spell.

Regina strolled over to Emma, meeting her nose to nose. "Never challenge me, Miss Swan, for you will regret it." She took a small step back and looked Emma up and down, laughing as Emma struggled to squirm herself free.

With a twist of Regina's wrist, Emma fell to the ground, landing on her hands and knees in front of Regina. "Oh, you're bowing to me now, are you?" Regina smirked as Emma quickly stood up.

"I'm still the one with the gun, Regina, don't test me." Emma warned.

"Or what?" Regina chuckled, "You're going to shoot me? At least make believable threats, Miss Swan."

"Hey, you listen to me-" Emma started, but was interrupted when the wind was knocked out of her as she crashed into the wall behind her again.

"No, Miss Swan, you listen to me," Regina approached Emma once again, getting too close for comfort. "You will leave Henry alone. And you will start by not coming to the theatre for the school play tonight, or there will be hell to pay." Regina took a step back and chuckled as Emma gaped at Regina, her face white as a ghost. "That's all."

Regina moseyed out of the office and into the hall, turning to smirk at Emma threw the window before she flicked her wrist and Emma once again fell to the ground, on her hands and knees, out of breath and furious.

As Emma entered the theatre she searched the crowd for Mary and David, but they were nowhere in sight. She took a seat in the back, hoping no one would see or talk to her. She hated small talk. The lights began to dim and chatting parents began to take their seats. Emma observed the crowd as they wandered off in different directions of the auditorium.

The lights went completely out and a single boy approached the microphone, "The students of Storybrooke Middle School present to you an Original Play by Hansel and Gretel." The boy walked off the stage as instruments started playing an eerie tune and fog rolled onto the stage, clearing up to reveal a house made of cardboard boxes with candies drawn all over it.

"Cute, isn't it?" A voice startled Emma, coming from her left. She turned to see Regina and her eyes practically jumped out of their sockets. Shit. "You know, I lead Hansel and Gretel to that witch's house. I can't wait to see which little girl plays me." She added.

"She won't do your evil soul justice, I can promise you that." Emma whispered back.

"It's funny that you showed up here, I thought I made myself clear in your office earlier today, you were not to come tonight."

"What can I say? Thick skull I guess." Emma shrugged as she watched children dance around the brown house on stage.

"Well, Miss Swan, I do hope you enjoy the show," Regina muttered before getting up and finding a seat next to Sidney in the audience. Emma's eyes narrowed as she thought about what Regina had said. She really doubted Regina was going to let it go that easy.

The play went on and Emma cheered at the end, proud of the three lines Henry had delivered perfectly. She decided to stay in her seat and wait for the theatre to clear out, hoping to see Mary Margaret and David as they left, but no such luck. She stayed seated anyway, since other parents seemed to be doing the same, waiting for their kids to come out.

When she saw Henry come out from the backstage doors, Emma made to get up to greet him but found herself strapped to the chair as if invisible ropes were keeping her in her seat. "Fuck you Regina," Emma muttered under her breath as she struggled for the third time today to wiggle herself free from the invisible ties forced upon her.

She watched as Henry greeted Regina and they walked up the aisle in her direction. She watched as Regina spoke with another mother and pouted as she saw Henry leave with the mother and the other boy, never having seen that she had come to support him.

She was so focused on Henry she barely noticed Regina approaching her, "Miss Swan, no standing ovation?" She asked, smirking as she leaned over the seat in front of her.

"This isn't funny, Regina, let me go." Emma demanded.

"Now, you see, I can't be doing that since it seems you have to learn things the hard way." Regina chuckled as she waved goodbye to parents passing who seemed to take no notice to Emma's stiff position.

"Regina, I swear-"

"Hush now, Miss Swan, I'll be back soon, I hope during your time alone you can think about every possible meaning the words 'keep your distance' could hold." Regina smiled as she stood up and walked out of the theatre.

The lights went out and Emma was left in the darkness, all alone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Regina! Regina, where are you?" Emma called into the darkness. She waited for an answer that wouldn't come and sat uncomfortably while doing illegal crimes to Regina in her mind. She really hoped she'd come soon, if for nothing else, she really had to pee.

Ten more minutes went by before Emma heard the tapping of Regina's heels against the floor a few feet from her. This was probably the first time she ever felt comforted by her presence.

"Miss Swan, how did you enjoy your time in solitude?" She asked, and although Emma couldn't see her, she could feel her smirk.

"It was very enjoyable, thank you, but if you could let me go now it would be much appreciated." Emma answered.

"Have you thought about every possible interpretation of the phrase 'keep your distance'?" Regina asked, stopping in front of Emma.

"Yes, I have and if you let me go I promise to find the farthest possible bathroom from you and Henry. Come on Regina, I've been here a long time." Emma hated begging, but she really had to go.

"It was only two hours, but I suppose that's enough time for you to wrap that blonde head of yours around my words." With that, Emma felt a nonexistent grip loosen and sprung up from her seat, happy to be free again.

"Thank you," Emma barked as she made her way out of the seats and out of the theatre, not wanting to spend any more time with Regina then she had to.

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Emma was driving to the grocery store when her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She pulled over and answered it, "Hello?"

"Hey Emma! It's Henry, I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at Granny's for some hot cocoa." Henry chimed into the phone.

"That sounds great, but I don't really think I can do that, kid." Emma answered, disappointed that she was letting Regina get in the way of her and Henry, but not seeing any other option.

"Why not?"

"Why do you think?"

"Regina."

"You got it, kid, listen, I'm sorry and I promise I'll call you next time something opens up where we can sneak out but right now it's daylight," Emma said as she noticed Regina come out of Mr. Gold's shop and get into her car a few hundred feet in front of her, "And it seems like she is lurking behind every corner."

"Okay, well make sure you call me as soon as you can! I have another mission you need to help me with."

"Another? We already broke the curse!" Emma threw her head back, what else could there be?

"Can't discuss it over the phone, talk to you later!" Henry said before he hung up and Emma's phone went silent.

This kid and his missions. Emma started the car back up and made her way to the grocery store as planned. She got a cart and went into the store, picked up the necessary items and made her way into the beverage aisle, where of course she ran into who else but Regina.

"Oh, shit." Emma muttered under her breath as she swung the cart around and headed for the check-out. She didn't need hot chocolate mix that bad anyway, there was always Granny's.

"Oh, Emma, fancy seeing you here." Regina smiled as she read the back of a box of tea bags.

Emma cringed and turned around, "Well, a girl's got to eat, and there is, after all, only one grocery store in town, so," Emma shrugged and made her way up the aisle.

She decided she was glad Regina stopped her from checking-out before getting her necessary items. Who was Regina to make her skip out on her cocoa? She wasn't going to live her life in fear, that would be absolutely ridiculous!

Regina smiled, "Yes, well it wouldn't kill you to go outside of town, would it?" Emma turned from the hot chocolate mixes and met Regina's eyes.

"You are not chasing me out of this town, Regina. My family is here, and they're the only thing I got and if you think you can make me leave, you're out of your mind." Emma accosted Regina.

"Hmm, that may be so, but don't blame a girl for dreaming," Regina said, turning back to the remaining teas, "And let's not forget, Miss Swan, sometimes dreams do come true, just ask Cinderella."

"The curse is broken, Regina, which only proves that good will prevail, not evil, not you. So you can continue with your threats and your magic, but nothing you do will be powerful enough to pull me from my family." Emma said, throwing a box of cocoa mix in her cart and scooting past Regina to the registers.

Regina watched her walk away and smiled, didn't even move a finger. This wasn't the last Miss Swan would be seeing of her.

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Emma was back at her apartment, putting away groceries when she heard something by the door. It couldn't be Mary Margaret since she was staying after to tutor some of her students, and it wasn't David since he was at the Animal Hospital. She turned around to see Regina letting herself into the apartment with a set of skeleton keys.

"What are you doing here!" Emma screamed when she saw who was at the door. "This is breaking and entering, I can arrest you for this!" Emma yelled as she made her way to Regina, ready to drag her out.

"But you won't." Regina smirked.

"How am I supposed to keep my distance if you force yourself into my home?" Emma took a few strides closer to Regina and reached out for her arm when she stopped dead in her tracks.

"You could've kept your distance behind the counter." Regina suggested, taking a step closer to Emma, who was rolling her eyes and scoffing at her frozen legs.

"What do you want, Regina?" Emma asked.

"You know what I want, Miss Swan, but I found it amusing today at the grocery store when you thought you could defy me, that somehow you were stronger than me," Regina flicked her wrist and Emma fell to her knees, "When you so obviously are not." Regina walked around Emma in a circle.

"Why don't we talk it out like adults, Regina? Do we really have to go through this childish game of you making me fly into walls and getting stuck in chairs and falling to the floor? Can't we just talk like normal people?" Emma said as she looked up at a smirking Regina.

"Well, maybe I would just have a talk with you, but that doesn't seem effective in getting you to listen." Regina dragged a chair from the table in front of Emma and sat down in it.

"Well, I'm listening now, what do you want?" Emma barked, her knees beginning to feel sore.

"Leave town." Regina said.

"No way." Emma retorted.

"Leave town or else." Regina insisted.

"Mary Margaret's going to be home in a half an hour, even if you leave me like this here she'll call Mr. Gold and he'll undo your wrong," Emma said, hoping this would make Regina remove the spell, since her knees were hurting.

"I'll be back same time tomorrow, Miss Swan, and next time I'll show you some real magic." Regina got up from her chair as she spoke, walking to the door. She opened it and spun around, revealing an empty hallway behind her. "But if you want a little preview," Regina flicked her wrist and suddenly Emma was on the ceiling, hanging by her feet from an invisible chord. She ripped off the jacket she was wearing.

"This is so hot! Why is it burning?" Emma screamed, reaching for her top.

"Now, now, Miss Swan, don't expose yourself. You haven't even bought me dinner yet." Regina chuckled and flicked her wrist before shutting the door, sending Emma floating to the floor. Emma landed softly on her back and immediately went to the mirror to find blisters on her pink skin. She had been burned by something.

Luckily for Emma, she had always had a fire in her belly and she was going to be ready for Regina next time.


End file.
